In the process of shipping one or more articles in container, such as a cardboard box, from one location to another, a packer typically places some type of dunnage material in the shipping container along with the article or articles to be shipped. The dunnage material partially or completely fills the empty space or void volume around the articles in the container. By filling the void volume or cushioning or otherwise protecting the article, the dunnage prevents or minimizes damage to the articles during shipment.
To use storage space more efficiently, a dunnage conversion machine can be used to convert a supply of stock material, such as a roll or stack of paper, into a lower density dunnage product. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,589 discloses an exemplary dunnage conversion machine that can convert a continuous sheet of paper into a crumpled strip of void-fill dunnage. This patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Such a converter can convert a compact supply of stock material into a much greater volume of dunnage.